Celebration set for expected North Dakota oil milestone

TIOGA, N.D. — The North Dakota Petroleum Council and its member companies are planning an event in Tioga next month to celebrate what they expect will be an oil milestone.

The June 25 event, dubbed “One Million Barrels, One Million Thanks,” is to celebrate North Dakota oil production reaching an average of 1 million barrels a day. Organizers say the event is being held in appreciation of the state and its residents for their support and patience along the way.

North Dakota oil drillers produced an average of about 977,000 barrels a day in March. State Mineral Resources Director Lynn Helms said recently that he expects April’s oil production figures to be over 1 million barrels daily. Oil production numbers typically lag at least two months.

The Tioga event will include an air show featuring World War II-era planes. Gov. Jack Dalrymple is the scheduled keynote speaker.

The celebration is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Neset Consulting Service on the north edge of Tioga. It is free and open to the public. Signs will guide visitors to the site.

Tioga is where North Dakota’s oil history started. Production began on April 4, 1951, when Amerada Corp.’s well struck oil on Clarence Iverson’s wheat farm near the northwestern town. The state tallied its 1 billionth barrel of oil in 1989 and the 2 billionth barrel in 2011. North Dakota is on track to produce its 3 billionth barrel of crude this year or next, according to the Mineral Resources Department.

The air show during the Tioga celebration is to include a flyover of the Iverson well.

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